Deborah Weinswig

Deborah Weinswig ­Citi SECOND TEAM Charles Grom JPMorgan THIRD TEAM Building Resilient Portfolios: Infrastructure’s Strategic Advantage Sponsored by IFM Investors May 9, 2025 Michael Exstein Credit Suisse

Deborah Weinswig of ­Citi claims the top spot for a fifth straight year. Weinswig, 38, seems to be “on a never-­ending quest to learn something new about the companies under her coverage,” applauds one investor. In February the analyst, who ranks third in Retailing/Food & Drug Chains, reiterated her long-­standing buy recommendation on Wal-Mart Stores, at $49.06, believing that cash-­strapped consumers would drive up business for the Bentonville, ­Arkansas–based discount retailer. By mid-­September the stock price had soared to $62.41, gaining 27.2 percent since Weinswig’s call, while the sector climbed just 2.4 percent. Charles Grom of ­JPMorgan Securities, who vaults from ­runner-up to second place, displays “an understanding that the consumer is a complicated persona,” according to one ­money manager. Valuation concerns prompted Grom to downgrade longtime favorite Costco Wholesale Corp. to neutral in July, at $71.82. Shares of the Issaquah, ­Washington–based big-box discounter slipped 3.2 percent, to $69.55, from Grom’s downgrade through mid-­September. Michael Exstein of ­Credit ­Suisse repeats in third place. Exstein advised investors to buy ­Macy’s in ­July, at $15.49, reasoning that the Cincinnati-­based department store will likely see an increase in business as its com­petitors close shops or go out of ­business. By mid-­September the stock had soared 34.3 percent, to $20.81.

Return to The Best Analysts of the Year

Return to Rankings